Real Betis - Valencia predictions and free betting tips [01/10/2023]

On Sunday October 1, during the 8th round of the Spanish La Liga, Betis will host Valencia at home. The hosts, currently ranked 10th in the league, ended with a draw against Granada (1:1) last week, while Valencia saw a defeat against Real Sociedad (0:1) in the previous round.

Predicted Line-ups

Betis: Bravo; Ruibal, Pezzella, Riad, Abner; Rodriguez, Carvalho; Diao, Isco, Rodri; Iglesias.
Valencia: Mamardashvili; Correia, Diakhaby, Ozkacar, Gaya; Pepelu, Guerra; Perez, Almeida, Lopez; Duro.  

Stadium

The match will take place in Seville at the Benito Villamartin stadium.  

Betis

For two or three seasons, Betis’ aim has been to squeeze into the top four and qualify for the Champions League. However, the Sevillian giants aren't favourites to lead the chart at the start of this campaign, displaying surprisingly disappointing results. In the last 6 La Liga rounds, the 'cucumbers' have seen victory only once, with the last Thursday night ending in a 1:1 draw against Granada. Prior to this, Manuel Pellegrini's wards were trashed by Barca (5:0), and managed a draw with Cadiz (1:1). As a result, the hosts have collected just nine points, ranking tenth in the overall La Liga standings. In addition, the "Verdiblancos" lost their opening Europa League group stage match against Rangers (1:0), with the following Thursday presenting them the challenge of hosting Prague's Sparta in the second round. 

It should be pointed out that the team has scored only seven goals in seven matches. Pellegrini will again miss crucial midfielder Fekir (out long-term due to injury) and Senegalese defender Sabaly. In addition, the team's top scorer Willian Jose (3 goals), who was notably absent against Granada this week, alongside forward Luis Enrique and midfielder Guardado, are also not listed. Over the summer transfer window, winger Es Abde (Barcelona) and the notable Isco were added to the team, with the latter rediscovering his former excellent form. In his professional debut on Thursday night, 18-year-old Diao scored the lone goal against the opposing team and has surely booked his position in tonight's line-up.

Valencia

On the contrary, Valencia hadn't expected such a successful start for itself, particularly following the rather chaotic past few seasons in La Liga. Having suffered from numerous coaching resignations, the club's leadership decided to take a new approach, betting on a mix of youth and experienced defensive players. As a result, "Los Che" recently crushed Atletico Madrid 3:0 at Mestalla, but fell short to Real Sociedad 0:1 at home midweek – Carlos Fernandez scored the lone goal on the 32nd minute. In the previous campaign, Valencia took 16th place in the championship, marking its worst results since being relegated from La Liga following the 1985-86 season. Ruben Baraja's team is quite good defensively, having let in only seven goals so far, while delivering nine. 

Head-to-Head Record

The hosts did not win in their last three matches against Valencia, with the score last season in Seville ending even at 1:1.  

Match Prediction for Betis vs Valencia

It's still unclear what to expect from Valencia in each specific match. The team's inconsistent outcomes are due to the youth of its squad: as guests, they can shred Atletico, and then dishonourably surrender to Alaves. Betis is not often pleasing fans with victories recently and is having difficulties attacking. Additionally, Pellegrini will keep in mind the Europa League match next week, so the 'cucumbers' are less likely to push hard. My prediction – a draw.  

Over/Under Prediction

In the last three games featuring Betis, no more than 2 goals have been scored. Considering the attacking issues of the green-and-white team and the overflowing infirmaries of both teams, it would make sense to bet on total goals under 3.  

Corner Bet Prediction

The teams prefer positional play and do not deliver too many corners per match (average of 4.5 for 90 min). I am betting on total corners under 9.5.  

Yellow Cards Prediction

Neither team is known for excessive rough play on the field, so we will not see more than 4 yellow cards shown.  

Correct Score Prediction

I would place a bet on a correct score of 1:1.